Urban Farm Hub

Each year I make a pilgrimage to Duris Farms for pickle supplies. They have it all!

Here’s my favorite recipe:

• 1.5 pounds pickling cukes with blossom end trimmed off
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1.5 Tablespoons kosher salt
• Large dill stem with flowers
• 1/4 cup Duris pickling spice mix
• Grape leaves (for crisp pickles)

Divide up garlic, dill, a couple of grape leaves and spices in clean mason jars, pack in cucumbers. Mix salt, water and vinegar over medium heat. Pour liquid over cukes in jars leaving a 1/2 inch of headroom.

If you’re going to eat soon put in fridge. If you want to save for later do a water bath canning.

Pictures are from a recent visit to the Lewis and Clark National Historical Center.

You’re getting ready to prep the garden but aren’t sure what the soil needs? Time for testing!

There are lots of available kits and meters. Or you can send samples to a lab for testing.

We have a lot of rain in the Pacific Northwest and I was sure our soil would be acidic. I was quite surprised to find the only thing needed is nitrogen!

It’s easy!

Pick Indigo leaves before the plant blooms.

Sprinkle with salt and massage leaves. You may need to add a little water.

Massage in the cloth or yarn you want to dye and let it sit for 30-60 minutes.

Here’s the rinsed yarn.

I like this teal colored silk!

Put the plucked stems in water and they will root. Indigo makes a nice houseplant or you can plant outside in warm weather.

So much squash! It’s pickle time.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons dill and/or mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Directions:

• Bring vinegar, salt, water, sugar and garlic to a boil, simmer for two minutes
• Put spices into jars
• Pack jars with squash
• Pour in vinegar mixture and put lid on jars

Let sit for a few days for flavors to blend. Keep this in the refrigerator up to two months. (Because it’s not water bath canned it needs to be in the fridge.)

The BFF is maturing and bearing fruit. You can sign up to be a summer steward now.

Map

Sage

P-patch

Borage

Grape

Fava beans

Willow and dogwood

Berries

Apples

Meeting area

Comfrey

Currants

Spending a day with basket master Peter Greer at his Golden Bay, New Zealand studio was a wonderful experience. He’s an amazing craftsman and an excellent teacher.

He grows his own willow near his studio.

Once cut the willow is sorted by putting it in barrels and pulling it out and bundling it by height. He soaks the dried willow then wraps it in wet material to keep it flexible.

Here’s a hand peeling tool to strip bark from boiled willow.

To get started choose eight pieces of the same diameter and length.

Peter showing us how to start the base.

Make a cut in the middle of four pieces and feed the other four through.

Once you’ve gone around twice with four start weaving over and under two.

Once you’ve done a few rounds of over two go to over and under individual pieces until you reach the desired base size. Let this dry and set for a few hours.

To begin the upright weaving cut the rod right next to the base and use an awl to open a space.

Bend the rod over the awl tip to correctly position it.

Gently bend all the rods up right into a birdcage shape and tie a string to hold them st the top.

Set a heavy weight on the base to hold it in place. Use a 3 rod wale to stabilize the base.

Here’s how to do this weave.

A French weave is used for the body of the basket.

Putting down the border is next

Here’s a video by Hanna Van Aelst on how to do these.

Last comes the handle. Insert a thick rod then wrap and tie it off.

Contact info

Once you’re done, you can pack up your basket and head out for a picnic in the glorious NZ countryside!